(South Bend, June 22, 2002) — Michiana Amateur Radio operators worked ’round the clock the weekend of June 22-23 to set up field radio communication stations, get on the air, and contact thousands of other operators in the US, South America, the Caribbean and Canada as part of participation in the American Radio Relay League’s Field Day. According Rick Nimtz, President of the Michiana Amateur Radio Club, Field Day is the annual “national emergency shakedown run” for the ARRL’s National Field Organization. “Field Day is a way for hams to get outdoors and have fun under some difficult conditions,” Nimtz says. “But it’s also a chance to fine-tune emergency communication skills. We use generators and battery power, and we set up antennas in the field. The idea is to put together a self-sufficient, working station quickly and begin making contacts.”
Michiana Field Day operations began at Rum Village Park (near the shelter). Operations started at 1:00 pm on Saturday, June 22. The public was invited to not only observe the activities but to use one of the stations and contact other Field Day participants.